Australian Human Rights Commission media release 2 May 2010.

First National Executive is a milestone moment for Indigenous Australians

Today’s announcement that the National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples is ready to begin operations marks a new beginning for effective national representation of Australia’s First Peoples, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Mick Gooda said today.

Mr Gooda congratulated the Congress on being incorporated as a company limited by guarantee, meaning that it can now begin to operate officially.

Welcoming the appointment of Kerry Arabena and Sam Jeffries as the inaugural Co-Chairs of the organisation, Mr Gooda said this was a moment that would go down in history as a turning point in Australia’s reconciliation process. Commissioner Gooda also congratulated Josephine Bourne, Peter Buckskin, Ned David, Colleen Hayward, Klynton Wanganeen and Daphne Yarram on their appointment as Directors of the company and members of the National Executive.
Continue reading →

Section 6: Recommendations to the Australian Government

As the title of this report states, it is time to put ‘our future in our hands’.

This report provides a suggested pathway for a new National Representative Body to begin the journey to true independence and self-determination for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. This starts with the proposition that the National Representative Body should be a non-government entity, incorporated as a company limited by guarantee.

Accordingly, the majority of proposed actions in this report are directed to the Interim National Executive of the new National Representative Body rather than to the Australian Government.

However, there are significant steps that can only be taken by the Australian Government that will facilitate the creation of the National Representative Body and enable it to have a chance at success.

Accordingly, we make the following recommendations to the Australian Government:

1. That the Australian Government agree to an ‘establishment package’ for the new National Representative Body comprising the following elements:
a. The full funding of the establishment phase of the National Representative Body (estimated to be completed in December 2010).
b. Granting of Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status to the National Representative Body and fast tracking its enactment.
c. The creation of an Establishment Investment Fund vested in the National Representative Body.

2. That the Australian Government agree to the Steering Committee for this consultation process being extended to enable it to appoint an Interim Ethics Council and to identify the members of the Interim National Executive of the new National Representative Body.

3. That the Australian Government commit to provide recurrent funding for the National Representative Body’s operations over the initial five years of operations from January 2011. It is anticipated that there would be a need for a further five years of funding by government, but at a reduced rate as the organisation begins to access consistent streams of independent funding.

4. That the Australian Government commit to a substantial contribution over ten years into the Establishment Investment Fund for the National Representative Body to ensure its sustainability and financial viability into the future. This Fund will require a total of $200million from all sources over the ten years to ensure a sufficient recurrent expenditure base for the organisation after ten years.

Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs
Media Release 27/08/2009
National representative body for Indigenous Australians

The Australian Government today welcomed the release of a report on a national representative body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

The proposed model sets a high benchmark for strong, responsible and strategic leadership.

The Government respects the steering committee’s view that the establishment of a capital fund would allow the national representative body to operate independently of grant funding.

However, the Government has no plans to contribute to such a fund at this time.

The Government is prepared to provide modest and appropriate recurrent funding for the national representative body once it is established, as well as providing support in its critical establishment phase.

This would be benchmarked against funds provided to similar autonomous, peak representative bodies.

Continue reading →

Australian Human Rights Commission 2 June 2009

The Australian Human Rights Commission is running a competion to name the soon-to-be-established new national representative body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Entries must nominate a name no longer than 10 words, which must be original. It can be in traditional language but must include an English translation.

Applicants must provide 30-100 words explaining the significance of the name and/or why they think this should be the name of the new national representative body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

Entry is open to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples living in Australia and is limited to one entry per person.

Entries will be assessed by members of the National Representative Body Steering Committee with the winner receiving an iPod touch (16GB model) plus $100 voucher for books. There are also four runner-up prizes of $100 book vouchers each.

The competition closes on at 11.59pm on Friday, 26 June 2009.

Entries can be submitted and terms and conditions can be accessed at:

http://www.humanrights.gov.au/social_justice/repbody/name_survey.html

Thursday, 14 May 2009

Key questions to be resolved for finalising the model for a new national Indigenous representative body will be distributed to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples this week as the final consultation stage on the model gets underway.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Tom Calma said the ‘Getting it Right’ eight-page community guide was being distributed through national Indigenous media outlets and through an extensive Indigenous mailing list to highlight particular issues for further discussion.

“The Steering Committee wants to hear from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples so that we can ensure the new body provides a strong, independent and credible voice on issues that matter to Indigenous people now and into the future,” Commissioner Calma said.

“Now that common ground and consensus has been reached on issues such as the objectives of the national representative body, this final stage of consultations will work out nuts and bolts issues such as how the body can best represent Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in a way that includes local and regional issues.

“We also need to resolve the structure of the new body and determine whether members should be elected, whether they should be nominated to the national body by regional or state/territory level organisations, or whether it should be a combination of both,” he said.

“We need to probe what the body’s relationship with the federal government and the Parliament should be and how it should be constituted. For example, should it be a statutory authority, a company limited by guarantee or a non-government organisation?

“Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have maintained throughout the consultations to date that the body should be sustainable and able to operate independent of government funding over time, so the question of funding and sustainability is another critical issue to be resolved.”

Commissioner Calma said Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people wanting to help determine the model could do so by answering an online survey by 10 June or by providing a written submission by 24 June.

“We will also be running a national competition to name the new national representative body with advertisements in national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander media throughout May,” Commissioner Calma said.

To complete the online survey and to obtain information on how to make a submission go to www.humanrights.gov.au/social_justice/repbody/index.html

The Steering Committee must present a preferred model for a new national representative body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to the Australian Government by the end of July. It is also required to make recommendations about the establishment of an interim body to begin from August 2009, and to ensure strong community support for the preferred model.